The Process of Becoming
by Zenevieve-Son
Summary: Post Prototype 2. Dana is settling down with James Heller and his daughter, but problems unfold. She realizes why she loved her brother in the first place, but he hasn't changed. Will she be able to revert him back? Mercer vs Zeus. Chapter 2/?
1. Reminisce

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Prototype or the characters involved in this fic. Prototype belongs to Radical and Activision._  
**

Chapter 1 - Reminisce

_Pain._

_The only word you can think of, the only thing you can feel._

_Memories flash by your face as you realize what's going on. You try to scream, but black, heavy mass come flooding out of your mouth. It's disgusting. You can't talk, you can't move, can't think, only wait as the biomass leeches._

_You're weak, pathetic. You can't even withstand heaving._

_You hope this'll end soon._

Cups clash with the sound of hot liquid steaming. It's her, Dana, she's making coffee. She pours the black liquid into a white mug and walks over to her office chair. She sets the cup down to cool before plopping down into the cushioned seat.

She's in an apartment, simple, really. There's no walls dividing the kitchen with the living room, no dining room, a bathroom, and a hallway leading towards 3 bedrooms. One for Dana, Amaya, and Heller. One for each of them. Although James is Amaya's real father, he is uncomfortable sharing a room with his own daughter. He would prefer if she'd share a room with a motherly figure, anyways.

Dana reaches towards her drawer. She pulls it open, and in plain sight are pens, hair ties, hair clips, and a treasure box. Hesitant, she grabs the box, being flat and pink. It has a golden flower design on the corners, and a key lock. She reaches for her neck and finds her necklace chain. It's pendant is a tiny little gold key. It fits the keyhole on the box. She raises the box to her eye level, and slowly places the key inside, turning it with a 'click'.

Inside is one item: a picture, in it's worn out, brown frame.

It's a photo of her and her brother, before she was abducted and put in a coma. He was willing to take a picture with his sister, although refused to crack a real smile. Nevertheless, he managed a smirk.

Her fingers are drawn to the item, gently sliding them across the said man.

_"You find anything?"_

_"Jesus Christ! Don't do that, Je-" she breathes heavily, taking in the brief surprise of her brother._

_"..Sorry."_

_"Okay.. your apartment?"_

_"There's nothing left there," he exclaims._

_She sighs, still stunned. "Well it doesn't matter, I've been lookin' at your laptop."_

_"Laptop?" he says as he leans towards her. Not used to the close contact, she leans back._

_"Yeah. It came in a package the day after you went AWOL. Look," she quickly gestures to the screen after making the brief, unnecessary comment._

Her eyes water, forming a clear teardrop to slide down the bridge of her nose, falling on the picture protected by the glass.

"Ms. Mercer?"

She jumps, and shoves the frame back in it's treasure box, slamming it shut. She quickly wipes her pink eyes with her sleeve and sniffs.

"Miss, are you alright?" It's Amaya.

Dana puts on the best smile she could. "Yeah," she lied.

She calls her over, and lifts the child onto her lap. "Remember what I said about calling me Miss?"

"Oh right,"

She strokes her black, shiny hair, twirling her finger in one of the braids.

"It's okay," she smirked. "it just makes me feel old."

Eventually, the comfort of the child and the warmth of the room would mean she would be lost in a train of thought again. Not that there wasn't anything to think about. Heller said he would deal with everything, and that it wasn't her job to be patronizing him, but she couldn't help herself. Alex always had her involved in the things he did, because he needed her at the time. He and Heller were so different.

It's been only 2 weeks since Alex's death. It was recently, and although he had been so distant, Dana had not the time to mourn. Really, he died a long time ago, but nothing she would say now would defeat what she said to him before.

"It's alright, Alex, it's fine. Look, no matter what you're still my brother."

She, Amaya and James have been living in this private apartment in the Green Zone ever since.  
The routine was almost identical to hers and Alex's, the man of the house would leave in the morning, and return later in the evening. The only addition was his daughter.

There have been times when Heller and her would talk, only to have it complex very few times. He even went as far as apologizing for dumping his daughter in her care like that. Dana never took it, though. She wasn't a burden, mainly because is was like taking care of herself, but with an extra mouth to feed, and extra hand to hold, and a little sister in general.

Amaya knew she had been crying, but didn't know why.

"I was crying too, y'know," Maya whispered, trying to look at her eyes.

"I wasn't crying.." she bluffed. She couldn't look into the child's eyes.. they were too capable of catching lies.

"I lost my mom. I really wish I had her back. Why were you crying? Did you lose somebody, too?"  
she questioned.

"Yeah.. my older brother. He was all I had."

"I always wanted an older brother.."

"Well, you're very lucky to grow up with your mom and dad. They both love you very much," she smiled.

"Why isn't my dad here at home? Where does he go?"

Dana knew the girl was so young, she didn't want to make it sound complicated for her, but she knew how frustrating it was when somebody only replied with the words, 'it's complicated', so she spoke to her a little more maturely than however most guardians would. After all, she was 9.

"Bad scientists are here. They are the ones who created the flu that turns people into zombies," she explained. "Your dad is trying to make the flu disappear. But don't worry, he's winning."

"My dad always won everything he joins.." she giggled.

"Yeah? My brother too." Dana smiled, enjoying Amaya's company.

After a brief silence, Maya climbs off, and sits on the chair beside her.

"What does your brother look like? Is he ugly? Cute? Tall? Short?" She leaned forward with her hands folded in her lap, a wide, toothless smile slapped on her face.

"This girl.." Dana shook her head in disbelief, smiling. "I can't really answer that, since he's my brother and it would be awkward," although this little lady is young, curious, cute and a bit innocent, she has a rough and sly interior. She had to be careful around her.

"Do you have any pictures?"

"No. Sorry, honey," she replied a little too early, another lie. "How about I fix you up with some lunch?"

She nodded in reply, and hopped off her seat.

**Short chapter is short, I know.. but its just a prologue I guess. Should I continue? I will if I have at least 3 reviews.**

**Thanks for reading!  
**


	2. A New Episode

**AN: I apologize for the delay. Hope this chapter makes it up to you guys! I'll be updating this story probably every 5 days since I'm not a frequent updater. It's also the end of the semester so I'll be getting a lot of studying down for exams.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prototype.**

Chapter 2: A New Episode

_There was a cataclysmic pulse of pain shooting through his body as screams fill the air._

_A thick, dark substance leak it's way out of his mouth muting the cries of pain._

_As it hits the ground, small tendrils start to find their way out of the puddle of mass._

_"The fuck?"_

Sometimes there's no escaping the depths of horror in the world. Sometimes, you just have to let it be. However, you always have to face it.

You could walk about your daily lives and not give a shit about the homeless man sitting next to your apartment lobby entrance. You could just laugh, while others are only so generous enough to donate 2 dollars. Those things mattered in the world, even if you couldn't open your eyes to see it.

Now, however, everything has changed. You are more selfish than what used to be. Nowadays, since the infection has broken out the second time, you and plenty of others only care about living. It's ironic, actually, considering that the ones who were sitting at your doorstep are probably dead, and only you can fill their shoes.

'Finally, shit's done and over with.'

Heavy feet slam against the weak asphalt, supporting the large man. It cracks like ice as he makes contact. With an easy hop, he's in the air.

His destination is in view as he abruptly lands on another rooftop, sprinting towards the secret entrance on the top of the building.

He stops close to the edge of the building and looks down, watching sick civilians grudge past another, looking for a place to go, family to find. He feels pity for them.

The man sighs and turns back to walk quietly, careful not to not make loud, blunt steps. As he reaches for the doorknob, a sharp pain stabs his gut.

Gasping, he lurches over and grabs his stomach, clinging to it in pain. Suddenly, it disappears, as quickly as it came. Forgetting the episode, he grabs hold of the knob, and twists it open.

It's 6pm, and dishes clutter in the sink.

Amaya had recently finished her microwaved lasagna which had been sitting on the white, marbled counter for the past 15 minutes, while Dana had finally gotten to drink her overdue coffee.

"Dana, I'm back."

With a silent sweep of the door and a click, James Heller enters the apartment.

Dana perks up to the sound, and places her cold coffee on the counter desktop. It was common for him to come around this time. With a smirk, she looks up at the analog clock mounted on the wall.

Confused, his eyes find what she is staring at, and deliberately sighs.

"I'm pretty predictable, ain't I?"

"Right on time," she remarked.

Heller examines the barren room, expecting to catch a certain someone by the name Amaya, only to find a stash of bright coloured pencils and paper lying on the coffee table in between Dana and the couch.

"Where is she?"

"She's taking a bath at the moment, dinner got her all messy. Why don't you sit down," she gestures to the couch in front of her.

As directed, and makes his way to the couch, obeying the commands of his latter friend.  
Although they had lived with each other for only 2 weeks, she seemed comfortable enough to get smart with him, and eventually, take over the entire apartment. He was used to it, though, since women have a strange tendency of being the ones in charge.

"Well, how was it?" she asked. This was the routine. He would leave in the morning, come home around 6, and talk. Although their routine was repetitive, she often tried to spice it up by changing her questions. This one, however, was used about 3 times already.

"It was the same as ever, just more work to do."

At the lack of information, Dana frowns.

"But, there was some fucked up idea I got."

Break.

"Yeah?" she hoped, that Heller had some work for her to do. She was desperately tired of sitting on her ass all day doing jack shit.

"I had a thought. I've been doing some patrols in the Red Zone, and I remember some weird information Sgt. Aleks Markovic heard at a briefing."

She urgently gestured for him to continue, literally hopping in her seat.

"The Marines in the RZ are too lazy to clean some blocks contradicted from the Dead Zone, and instead are too busy being patrolled around by Blackwatch collecting random civilians for lab testing. Markovic and his team witnessed a few of the mutants lying low."

"...and?"

"It was a fucking ambuscade."

Tension filled the air.

"So what, are you trying to say that the infected are thinking?" she sat up, taking in the information Heller had explained to her. This concept was alarming, and should be taken into some extreme consideration.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say." he said.

This was not so easily determined in a person's mind. Somehow humanity just had to get fucked the third time. Talk about third times charm.

Toggles of aggressive behaviour leaked into Dana's mind. It was something that she could not help, something her brother had. It was inherited from her mother, after all. Still, her former self was coming back, and she wanted to scream. She wanted Alex back, she wanted her old job back. She was sick of sitting in the apartment with no life. Her decisions were limited, stagnant, she needed more options. She needed some time alone, too, some time to herself.

Thoughts. Thinking is what she doesn't need at the time. Negative thoughts from which had been exercised out of her mind are dubiously finding their way in, echoing in the trails of their superior trial of mind.

"Heller, can I ask for a favour?"

"Uh yeah. What is it?"

With a heavy exhale, she replied. "Maybe tomorrow, can you bring Amaya outside? It's been so long since she's spent time with her father. She's always asking to go to the park, but because of my hostile reputation, I can't find myself to put her into danger."

Hesitantly, he nodded. "Sure."

With her wish granted, the lingering effect of relief effected her zen. "Great," she smiled.

It was quiet. Dana's hands were forming a layer of sweat. Her hands clasped, she stands up.

"I'm gonna go check on Amaya. You need to rest."

Her figure walks casually towards the washroom. Even though she walks with confidence, he could easily suspect an inch of terror in her shaky stride. As she closes the washroom door behind her, he sighs.

So this was it. This was their life from now on. Everyday he would get up early in the morning just to come back again in the evening, having to accomplish barely any process.

He had been eying the pink coloured object sitting by any means on Dana's computer desk. It wasn't closed all the way and he thought perhaps she forgot about it.

'Or its for me to look at. Why else would she leave it out in the open?'

Dubiously, he reaches over the office chair and gently grabs the box, attempting to not cause any disturbing noises. He pulls it closely towards him cradling the item as if delicate. After a few cautious glances behind him he decides it's safe to open the box. As he lifts the lid, a faced down picture frame is in view.

He picks it up and slowly turns it towards him. As soon as he beheld the image, his state of mind flies out of direction as he clutches his head in pain.

_His blurred vision adjusts as his eyes open to the surroundings._

_'The fuck is this?'_

_His body moves without authority. As he struggles, his feet are swiftly moving him towards a door. He reaches for the knob and twists it silently._

_"Dana?"_

_'My voice, I can't control my body. What kind of fuckery is this!'_

_"Alex," it's just her, Dana._

_"Are you feeling any better?"_

_"Yeah, it's nice of you to stop by. If you need Ragland he's just in the room," she points towards a large green door._

_"Never mind that," he shakes his head. "Look, I'm gonna get you out of here."_

_"What? Alex, you know we're not allowed to leave the Red Zone, we are on their bounty list."_

_"I know."_

_"Even if we could get out of here, where would we go? I mean, our apartment is totaled, and this just seems to be the only complex we have. We can't just follow Ragland around, he's got his own life, you know."_

_"Dana, look at me, look at this place. Do you really wanna spend the rest of your life in quarantine? I don't know what you're thinking but it's the best I could do. I don't wanna keep coming back every night just to check up on you."_

"Daddy?"

Shaken out of his haunting absorption, he swings his head to the right.

A little girl in pink braids and blue pajamas gawk at his stunned expression.

She giggles. "You and Dana are both daydreaming a lot today."

He smiles in response.

The shades alter their position, having a sun ray peak in, kissing her face. The open window has that certain ability if not closed.

Her eyes cracked open, feeling the blaze of blinding light entering her peripheral vision. 'Damn it, I left it open.' Disrupting her slumber, she falls hostage to the stupid idea of getting up when it's only 12pm.

Sitting up, she tosses the soft, warm blanket away from her body, throwing a second layer on Amaya. She throws her feet over to the floorboards, pinching her nose bridge. Her arms stretch upwards as her back arches into position.

Suggesting that James has probably already left, she makes her way to the bathroom inside their bedroom for a morning shower. Stripping to her bare naked skin she twirls the fosset in the bathtub until the water reaches her desired temperature.

"A nice shower will get rid of the sick, morning feeling," she grazed.

Amaya's eyes slowly flutter open to the sound of rushing water. She realizes the time and yawns, feeling her stomach growl along with her.

She quickly folds the bed cover into a messy pile, patting it on the bottom of the bed in attempt to make it look nice. It had worked.

Content with her successful grooming she marches towards the bedroom door with heavy feet. Closing the white painted door, the girl washes her face with the kitchen sink, drying it off with an unused counter cloth hanged on the chair.

Amaya makes herself toast with butter. Placing the brief meal on a plate, she grabs a water bottle from the fridge and makes her way to the couch, turning on the TV to her favourite noon shows.

Suddenly, a knock is heard on the door. Amaya whips her head to the direction of the sound and sighs.

As she approaches the door she is suddenly proud of how much she has grown since she had last opened a door, where upon she had to use a booster in order for her eye to reach the eye-hole.

Standing on her toes, she sees a black and red coloured collar of a leather jacket.

"Daddy!" she quietly mutters to herself. It had been so long since she had seen her father in the morning.

She eagerly unbolts the door, spirit hopping inside of her. When the saw the man she expected, her face fell.

This wasn't her father, however. No, this was the man she had least hoped to see again.

"Hi, young Amaya," he greets.


	3. Greetings

**Sorry for the wait guys. My account fucked up and I couldn't access it. Well I'm back! I appreciate those who reviewed, helped me out with my flaws, and waited patiently. Here, have a chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prototype. Prototype belongs to Radical Entertainment _(which I hear is closing down)_**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Greetings  
**

* * *

Possibility could not even describe the current event appropriately.

The little girl knew it was bound to happen. She knew that in just the course of time, karma would come around and stab her family in the back. Despite her young age, at what she s witnessed, she confirmed happy endings were not always the outcome. That was just a mere type of trickery to fool the dumb and blind.

Under the dismal conditions she has been living in, she had not been prepared for when an unwanted guest would eventually make his way through her doorstep. Dana didn't know about the events taking place in her room, but she didn't want to notify her, either. Perhaps if she was cautious and quick enough, she could make a run for the back room. Then again, a girl like her could easily get caught by a man like him.

His figure engulfed the doorway in a sombre grey. His tall demeanor towered above her. The way his stance stood told her that he was not thinking of carrying out anything threatening, however this man would be the last person on her trustworthy list.

"May I come in?"

His sudden attempt of converse was like a clash of thunder in her very eardrums. His rough voice resulted in her jumping slightly. Dreadful to her, he spoke.

The rhythmic cadence in her chest made its way through her entire body. What did this man want from her?

"I'll just need a few quick words with Dana," he declared. "She wouldn't leave you alone at home by yourself, would she?"

Amaya assumed that this was his way of asking her if the said person was home. Fearing for her friends safety, she nods her head, hoping he would be convinced of her false whereabouts.

She watched the man's face. He expressed no emotion. She couldn't read him, he was an untranslated book, and the one's who could help her were both out of the room for the moment.

After a cadaverous pause, she ran towards the back room. Relying on her little legs to swiftly maneuver her to the door which only seemed to get father away every step she took.

She couldn't remember how she felt beforehand, but a wave of sanity came crashing back into her senses after slamming the door shut, and all seemed well again. That was, until she remembered the man stationed outside their peaceful confinement.

She ran and embraced Dana, who was thankfully clothed and slightly clammy.

"Maya, what's up?"

He's out there," she mewled.

Dana's heart abruptly skipped a beat.

"Who's he-"

A knock sounded at the door. Mutual feelings hovered between the two. Beads of sweat seeped through their skin as the light and shadows morphed underneath the door frame.

"Go and hide."

Maya quickly obeyed the demand and ran unto the bathroom at the back of the room. She refused to lock the door assuming that Dana would need use of an escape during a desperate situation. Thence, she opened the window and looked out, There was the roof of an apartment building straight across. It was just a leap away. After arranging a contrivance, she ran back towards the door and pressed her ear against it, eavesdropping on Dana and the intruder.

Summing up the courage to protect the the little child, Dana raised the back of her hand and wiped it against her forehead, cleansing it of her sweat, and left over residue of water.

Then, the doorknob turned, and the door slowly opened. Stepping inside was no other than her deceased brother.

"Well, well, well. Its nice to see you again, Dana."

It was if the sound of her name on his lips once more caused all havoc of the world to suddenly turn its direction and contrivance its ways from her. Her eyes and nose began to sting, making her eyes water. A distant pain began to rise out of her chest once again, secretly letting out her bottled emotions.

The look painted on his face was the same, but his eyes; fragments of grief linger behind the crystalline colours.

"Y-you're supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, I know," he replied.

An appalling silence filled the air. It formed the room into a tense, wary corridor or betrayal. She didn't know what to do. He didn't need her any more, he made it perfectly clear - ever since they were able to love on their own after their life with their mother and the orphanage. It was like her existence was futile, a deficient, wasted soul implanted into a dysfunctional body. She was merely his high of relieving his stressful thoughts, nothing else.

"What do you want? You shouldn't be here," she intimated by a cautious gesture.

"I know we've had our conflicts-"

"Our conflicts? Alex, you threw me into a bank vault and locked me in there," she stated. "If that wasn't over the top, then I don't know what was."

Alex mentally chuckled. Her train of thought was so naive. She truly didn't understand the reason behind his actions.

"Dana, the only reason I did what I did was because you interfered with my plans. You were helping the enemy."

"I was taking care of James' daughter! How in any way did that interfere with your work?" Fragments of suppressed anger began to rise on her voice.

Alex was disappointed. "No. You were sending out information to him, info that would not only hinder my plans, but destroy me. Dana, we had an agreement; an arrangement that meant we would no longer be able to have any type of contact with each other. The pressure was all going towards you, not me, that's why I wanted us to separate. I was the source of your stress."

Dana was silent. She thought back to their separation, and how it scarred her. It wounded her mentally, and she went mad from there. The only thing that would keep her grounded at the time was either work, or Alex. Since the latter was unavailable, she found commission with Father Luis Guerra, who coincidentally was connected to James.

_'You were also the source of my_ sanity.'

"Well, why are you here? I thought you didn't need me anymore," she stated.

"Well, actually, I do. Come outside, we need to explain some things," he gestured towards the door.

"No. This conversation is over," she said as she turned to walk away. Alex quickly caught her movement, and immediately grabbed her wrist before she could proceed any further.

At short notice, she struggled to get away from him. Alex then gave in, and released her, but was soon shoved back by her hands on his abdomen.

"Don't-" she shrieked. "...Fucking touch me," her finger was raised towards his face as a threat, then hastily dropped to her side. Alex slightly inclined his head to the side, trying to apprehend the reason behind her sudden outburst.

Deciding to forget the irrelevant action, he spoke up. "Just come outside. I want to explain," he raised his hand towards the door again, inviting her to the living room.

Dana looked at his eyes, then to his hand. After a short altercation in her mind, she ceased. "Fine, but let me get Amaya. I'm not leaving her locked in a room."

"Very well," he replied, dropping his hand. He watched her figure until she turned a corner, disappearing from his view.

When she approached the white, bathroom door, she suspected Amaya to have heard every word. Finally out of her brothers' sight, she embodies her forehead against the door, and clenches her eyes, forcing back deprived emotions aching to be released. After a moment, Dana knocks on the door.

"Amaya?" No answer. "Sweetie, it's me. You can open the door now."

The doorknob turns and Amaya emerges, only to be shoved back in. Dana follows after, almost toppling over the girl.

Dana quickly closes the door behind them, then locks it.

She was not sure of she could trust this man again. He had been there for quite some time, but his sense of sanity became clouded with the greed and desire for cleansing the world. He became corrupt by the very thing he aimed to destroy. How did he even come back? Did he come from James? Was James even alive? If he wasn't, then they would be lost. Amaya had already lost her mother, she refuses to believe she lost her father to this monster as well.

Dana's thoughts told her that she needed to get out of there. She had to take Amaya to James, if he was somehow still alive.

"We're leaving, Maya."

Leaving? What did she mean by leaving? Did the man go away? Or was this an escape? Surely she would have been able to tell the man off.

"Is he still here?" she asked.

"Yes, he's still here. I'm afraid he might do something with us.. so we have to go."

Amaya nodded quickly, agreeing with the plan.

"The window!" Amaya said as she ran towards the said port. It was still open, and she leaned out. She gestured for Dana to come and follow, and pointed ahead.

"There, a ledge," she stated.

Dana looked out the window, and found out that Maya was already a whole step ahead.

"It's just a jump away," she smiled. "Will you be able to jump there? We're a little high."

Amaya nodded quickly, and decided it was time to get to the point. With Dana's help, she climbed onto the windowsill. Her hands were glued onto the frame, however, and couldn't decide when to make the jump.

"Don't worry, I know you can do it." Dana said softly, hoping not to provoke her into such circumstances. Amaya felt a lump forming in her throat. Since when was she afraid of heights? She feverishly enjoyed being on roller coasters, towers, monuments.. this was no big deal.

She crouched into position. Without looking down, she leapt across and tumbled onto the rooftop of the other building. There, she waited for Dana.

Dana climbed onto the windows ledge, and looked down. They were 12 stories high, consequently, a fall would indeed kill or incapacitate her. Holding her breath, she takes a leap, and lands on the rooftop without awkwardly falling over. Standing up, she examines Amaya for any injuries.

"Are you okay? Any scratches?"

Maya rubs her knee. "Just a small one, but it doesn't hurt."

Dana inspects her knee, and finds a white scratch. The very top layer of the skin is grazed, it is dry, however.

After checking her knee, Dana looks around the rooftop to locate a way down. Then she spots a door which most likely led to a stairwell.

"Okay, come with me."

She grabs hold of her hand, and heads for the steel door. She was correct, behind the door was a stairwell which spiraled down to the bottom. Each floor had a door which lead to the apartments, and a number beside it which indicated what level they were on.

"he'll probably think we went through here. Let's take an elevator," she said.

Dana opened the door with the number 11 beside it. Once they went through, there were two hallways that stretched across from each other, and two elevators centrally located in them. She pressed the button, and it lit up.

During the wait, Dana thought of an explanation for Amaya. She was young, which also meant she was very curious. She would soon ask what happened between she and Alex. By any means, she deserved to know. It was for the better that she understood their current situation; she could deviously help Dana, just like how she had already planned an escape from Alex.

"Dana, where are we gonna go?"

Dana's conscious laughed. 'She already knows what was going on.'

"We'll walk around. We found a home before, so I'm pretty sure we can find another," she smiled.

The elevator button dimmed, which indicated that an elevator had arrived. As they walked through the open doors, Dana scanned the inside for the 1st floor button.

As the shaft slowly began to descend, a dreadful silence filled the small space.

"I like elevators," said Maya, hoping to relieve the two of the awful void.

"Me too," Dana's eyes were downcast as she spoke. She refused to look anywhere but the ground during the time being.

The corridor opened, and revealed the Main Lobby. It's only inhabitants was a lone man, he was dressed in a black sailor jacket. The pair walked out of the building, hand in hand.

* * *

Alex walked out of the bedroom, and continued waiting in the fore-room. Refusing to sit, he makes himself comfortable as he leans against the computer desk across from the couch. His backside presses up against the corner of an object, and fails to ignore it as he casually turns around.

It's Dana's pink treasure box.

With the lid halfway open, he grabs gold of the top, and quickly flips it over. What he sees inside is enough to let the emotions within him accentuate.

He holds the picture in his hands, and delicately examines it.

He conveniently remembers the day the photo was taken. Dana had been reminiscing about their childhood experiences. Due to the fact that he couldn't remember any of it, she desired to show him, only to fuss over not possessing any picture albums. Refusing to not make another novice mistake, she forced him to take a picture with her.

Suddenly, he is drawn from his thoughts by the realization that Dana had been taking an excess amount of time. He then carries out the doubt of leaving her alone. Leaving the picture out on the table, he stands up.

Alex quickly strides into the white, master bedroom. He follows the corner which Dana had turned, only to find a closed, white door.

"Dana, lets go," he says, knocking lightly.

With no response given, he places his ear against the door, hoping to pick up any fragment of sound.

Instead of talking, all he heard was the consistent sound of loud honking and motors running. It was traffic.

"Fuck."

They escaped. The woman finally agreed to communicate with him, and she decides to ditch. How could she leave him like that? Sure, he was delirious, sociopathic, and a little insane, but he was her brother, her only family.

Grasping the handle with his right hand, he realizes it's locked. Turning the doorknob, it simultaneously gives way, and breaks off. Pushing the door open with his hand, he winds the room to be empty, with the window entirely open.

"Shabby," he stated.

He runs towards the open window. Looking out, he scans for a way out for a simple human. After discovering a way out, his legs then launch him out of the building.

* * *

As Dana and Amaya sit on the park bench in illuminated silence, cars and civilians passed by. The pair didn't mind the noise or silence confined between the two. No, they just sat still, waiting for the other to begin conversing.

Maya just continued to gaze around. Her eyes wandered off to those fortunate, and unfortunate in this gloomy city.

"Dana," she spoke up.

"Yes?"

"What did that man want with you? Why did he want to talk to you so bad?"

Dana knew this was a morbid question any person couldn't bring themselves to fathom. Why would she, anyways? It wasn't illegal to let her know.

"He's my brother.. He and I were very close."

It took a brief moment for Amaya to take in the preposterous information. Why didn't she tell her this before? Dana had been honest with her ever since they first met. She assumed they told each other everything.

"If you were so close, what happened? Why don't you want to see him?"

"Things are... complicated," she sighed. "We just slowly started to drift apart, and then one day, he asked to never see each other again."

"Oh."

"Yes, very weird, isn't it?" She smiled towards the child. "Usually family stick together forever, but I guess this family was just one of the different ones."

Amaya stopped to think. Surely, Dana didn't mind all the questions, otherwise she would have spoke up. "Are you afraid?"

Dana was taken aback. This one was not well defined; what was she asking? Was she afraid of what would happen? Of him?

"What?" she looked at her.

"Alex. With his powers, are you afraid of him? Of what he can do to you?"

This girl... she was an odd one. She asks the most complex questions for a child, and takes them as if they meant nothing. She is truly a deep thinker, since she has been through so much.

"Well, yes I have. When he told me about what he could do, he kind of blurted it out. I didn't even expect it, it was like something from a movie," she explained. "Then for the next few days I didn't even let him near me."

Amaya giggled at the last bit. She understood how it could be devastatingly frightening to experience this. She wouldn't even go near her father. Over time, however, things changed, and she appreciated his gift.

"Do you think he'll find us-"

"I already have."

Dana and Amaya's heartbeat accelerate from hearing the voice, and quickly turn their heads to its direction.

"Goddammit all," Dana curses to herself. This man is impossible. If you need him, he's never there. When you want him out of your peripheral vision, he'll be in your face. He never understood how to fairly comprehend boundaries.

As she eyeballs him move around from the back of the bench to stand before them, she stands up. "Get out of here, you're not wanted," she threatened.

"Dana, I'm not wanted anywhere, so I do believe that rule doesn't apply anymore," he affirms.

"Drop it," she yells.

He takes a step closer, deliberately attempting to invade, and control her vibe. Dana, however, casually stands her ground. With their eyes locked, she can feel his breath on her face.

"Well then," he continues. He cautiously moves around Dana, and takes a seat behind her. "Shall we continue?"

"Whatever, tell me what you have to say," she says facing him, arms crossed. She notices Amaya sitting beside him cowering away. She extends her arm towards her, and flicks her wrist, motioning for her to come stand by her side. As Amaya does so, he sighs.

"I won't bite, you know."

"No, I don't know," she objects.

Alex bit his lip, an old habit he picked up when he seemed human. "I'll get to the point. Dana, I want us to start over."

She slightly raises her eyebrows. "Oh really? So you've finally admitted defeat and decided to come crawling back for forgiveness?" she blackmailed.

"That's not a necessary statement," he admonished. Albeit being related to her, he never inherited her strange, unrequited outbursts. He does accept the fact that this was passed down from their alcohol abusing mother, however, and blames her for it. If only she could see how her kids have turned out, only to shove it in her fucking face.

"Even if it wasn't necessary, is it the truth?"

"N-no. Why are you so upset that I left you?"

"Upset over.. what? I wasn't upset over that. That's childish and completely naive!" she shouted.

"Dana, look, you need to get it together."

"Me?" She gestured to herself. "Alex, I don't know what's going on in your mind, and I never want to know, but seriously, what's up? I understand that leaving me is just opening up your own path to life, but you came back did something so stupid and unforgivable. Is your mission really worth the time?"

Dana's question appeared to get under his skin. How dare she say something so credulous to his nature. "What? Is my mission worth my time? Of course it's worth my time, it's not something someone arranged for me, it's something I personally desired to achieve," he spat.

"No, Alex. What you did had nothing to do with what you wanted to achieve."

Alex smirked. This was going downhill; he wanted to see how far she could take it.  
"Well you seem to know everything in my head, so tell me, I want to hear what you have to say."

"Fine," she accepted his challenge. "Alex, I understand that you were just a victim before. You wanted to find out what happened to you, and when you found out, holy hell turned on you. Shit happened, and you decided it was time to make a change in life."

Alex nodded at her clarification.

"Then, you came back. I was thrilled, but you weren't the same. Something unforgivable probably happened to you and you hated the world for it. You lost purpose. The little things got to you, and with so much power and nothing to keep you grounded, you lost hope for humanity. Alex, you became corrupt by the selfishness you wanted to rid the city of."

The mood of the moment was spoiled. Spoiled by his sister's stupid rambling of selfishness. Why would she even make such a hilarious comment? Did she really believe this was going to change Alex's thoughts about his actions in any way slightly? Well, even if it did, did she feel happy about it? He certainly didn't. He felt like a selfish fuck who didn't give a fucking fuck about the fucking world, or his only fucking family.

_'Fuck.'_

She was right. She was discouragingly right. How could he stoop so low? To such a level that even the homeless man living under your balcony laughed at. He was an idiot. People had suffered because of him. Well, it's not like they wouldn't have suffered even if he was still the same man he was; hunger was a desire that filled him when he walked in crowds, wasn't his damned fault.

He sighed. Finally understanding his sister's assumption.

"That's nonsense."


End file.
